Zombiestuck
by swwaggieQuadrants
Summary: *Note: I had to reupload this to this account I couldn't remember my login/email for my other one. I can't even remember what the username was.* Houston, we have a problem.
1. Chapter 1

hey! i wrote a zombiestuck fanfic, or i am anyways. sorry if it sucks ;P let me know if yall like it!

**Part 1**

_**Dave**_

* * *

The sky overhead was dark and covered in clouds that casted a shadow over the town below. The clouds showed signs of future precipitation, and the people down below looked up with disgust. The dark clouds brought problems for the humans. A kid wouldn't be able to have their birthday party that day, or a man on his way to an important meeting didn't bring an umbrella and was going to get his new suit wet. But one boy didn't mind the incoming rain storm. In fact, he was prepared for it. He always loved the rain.

A blonde boy about the age of 15 leaned against his work building in the ally where the workers took break to smoke. He had his headphones on with his hoodie over them just in case it started raining. His brother would get mad if they got ruined. Dark aviators covered his eyes, making him look cool. Hiding under them were his ruby red eyes and a couple of freckles, which were so not cool. The boy pulled his phone out of his pocket to change the song. A notification of a new text message flashed on his screen. Sighing, he unlocked his phone, opening the message. There were several, and all were from the same person.

"DAVE!"

"DAVE WHERE ARE YOU!"

"DAVE PLEASE ANSWER THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!"

"DAVE SERIOUSLY!"

He sighed again, heavier this time, letting his fingers mindlessly press the buttons to form his message. "what the hell is so important john." He clicked send, and went to his music, changing it to 20 percent cooler by Ken Ashcorp. This was Dave's favorite song. Not just because it involved My Little Pony, but because it reflected him so well. John said it was his theme song. And Dave couldn't agree more.

A ding sounded, interrupting his music. A new message popped up. Dave opened it.

"WE NEED YOU AT MY PLACE ASAP! WHERE ARE YOU?"

"outside my work building. ill be there in a few."

Dave stuffed the phone into his hoodie pocket, the music still blasting in his ear. John always did this. He was most likely pulling a prank on him. His phone dinged but he ignored it. He never answered when he says he's on his way.

The rain finally came, pounding softly against the boy's red hood. Puddles slowly began to form around him as he walked down the ally and rounded a corner, making his way onto the sidewalk. As he rounded the corner, someone ran right into him, causing him to fall over and into a puddle. The person fell down as well, landing on the sidewalk. "Watch where you're going!" He hollered at them, dusting off his knees as he stood. Great. His ass was completely soaked and covered in mud. He looked at who had run into him, seeing a frightened familiar face.

"Jade?" It was Jade Harley, a girl he had dated a while back. They were still best of friends of course, but there was still that awkwardness between them as there is when all couples break up. Her long black hair was soaked because of the rain, and her big round glasses were foggy. No wonder why she ran into him. But he didn't understand why she looked so scared. She looked up at him, her big eyes meeting his behind his shades. "D-Dave! Oh my god!" She got up quickly and hugged him tightly, something they hadn't done in a long time. Too long maybe. Still, the action startled the blonde, and he didn't hug her back until she was about to let go.

"Jade, what's wrong?" Her lips parted as if she was going to say something, but her eyes darted to something behind him, a scream ripping through the air. Dave turned quickly and was immediately grabbed by the ankle by something on the ground. He looked down, horrified at what he found. It was his boss, but it also wasn't. His skin was rotting right off, an eye hanging loosely from its socket. His suit was torn and holey at places. Dave didn't know if this was part of John's prank, or if his boss was trying to pull on, but nether less, it freaked him out. He quickly shook his bosses hand away and stepped on it, crushing it under his shoe. He then grabbed Harley's hand and started to run down the sidewalk, turning many street corners and going down alleys. Jade was crying the entire time he pulled her along, her sobs ringing through the allies.

Dave stopped by a dumpster to catch his breath, putting his hands on his knees and bending over, breathing heavily. He never ran so much in his life. Jade stood beside him, breathing heavily from the run as well. When they caught their breath, the looked at each other warily. They were both thinking the same thing.

"We need to get to John's house." Jade whispered. Dave could only nod, for he was at a loss of words. They walked the rest of the way to John's, being careful not to get jumped by any more of those things on the way there. The scene kept replying in Dave's mind. A strong, boney hand latching onto his ankle. The smell of rotting flesh. The dead look in his eyes. The decaying skin. The torn clothes. The rotten teeth. And the whisper Dave heard is what scared him the most. The end is near…

He didn't know who had said it to him, but it sent shivers down his spine. It couldn't have come from his boss. He was too busy groaning. It was probably just Dave's imagination. Yes! That must be it. He thought of weird stuff before, why should this be any different?

Dave and Jade finally made it to John's house. It was big and white, and clean…ish. It looked as if it had been broken in. The windows were boarded up and there were blood stains on the walls outside. The grass surrounding the house was long gone. There were blood stains on that too. What the hell went on here? Dave knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. After about five minutes of waiting, Dave knocked again with the same results. Annoyed with his friend, he pulled out his phone. He had ten new messages waiting for him.

"Be careful dude"

"Dave where are you?"

"Dave please answer…"

"Is Jade with you?"

"DAVE ANSWER"

"Dave. Answer you ass."

"You were probably eaten."

"Dave seriously."

"DAVID ELIZABETH STRIDERRRRRR"

"Dave…you were most likely eaten by the zombies…but just in case you weren't…if you want to get into my house, you need to send me a text. Don't knock. Or yell. That will attract the zombies. Also, if you get this before you get to my house, FIND JADE! She isn't answering our text messages and we're getting really worried. Dave…I really hope you weren't eaten. I…really…you were cool. No homo3"

Dave smirked at the last message. He said he was cool. John never said that, and if he did he never meant it. But Dave knew he was cool. He was the coolest kid ever. The shades proved it. He typed up a message to John and sent it. Jade shifted nervously beside him, looking around. "Are you sure he's here? This place looks pretty deserted…"

"I'm sure. His text said not to knock or yell or else the zombies will come. So I sent him a text." He glanced at her and smirked, seeing an opportunity to freak her out. He looked past her, making sure to lower his shades just enough that she could see his eyes. He made them as big and as frightened as possible and made a face that made hers pale. "Jade behind you!" She screeched and whirled around, kicking and punching the air. Dave started cracking up, doubling over as he laughed. Jade huffed and puffed as she looked at him, fresh tears rimming her eyes. "DAVE YOU JERK!" She went to smack him, but something stopped her. Dave straightened and gave her a weird look. "What?" She kept staring behind him, shaking her head. Then she went to the door and started pounding on it. "JOHN! ROSE! MR. EGBERT! PLEASE OPEN UP! PLEASE!"

"Jade! Don't do that!" He was about to grab her arms when he felt a something slap his shoulder. The fuck? Then he felt something graze his neck. The Strider froze, staring at Jade, who was staring at him. If Jade was in front of him then…

Dave slowly turned, coming face to face with rotten flesh. It was worse than his boss. Too ugly and vile to describe. He didn't recognize who it was, not that he really wanted to know. The blonde backed up slowly, looking for something to attack it with. "Jade," He whispered to the girl behind him. She whimpered as the zombie advanced towards her friend ever so slowly. "Jade, take my phone and text John. See what the hold up is." She nodded, reaching into his pocket and grabbing his phone. Meanwhile, Dave still searched for a weapon while keeping distance from the walker. In the corner of his eye he saw something shine. He turned his head to get a better look. It was a metal pipe. Perfect for bashing some brains. He creeped towards it, making sure to keep Jade safe behind him and the zombie in front. Luckily zombies were stupid. Dave grabbed the pipe and swung, knocking its head right off. The body collapsed, blood spurting out from the neck like a fountain. Dave grimaced and started smashing the skull in, making sure it was dead.

The door to the house opened and John's head popped out. "Guys!" Jade ran over, hugging John tightly. Dave wiped the pipe off on the grass and walked over, nodding to John. His friend examined him, giving him a weird look behind his square glasses. "Woah dude, what happened?" Dave's brow furrowed as he looked down at his white shirt. Gog damn it. The zombie got blood all over it. "Fighting shit. Let's get inside, it's chilly out here."

The three friends walked inside the house. It was the same as it was on the outside. White. Very white. And clean. Dave was never at John's house. They were always out and about in town, looking at girls or video games. Rose Lalonde sat on the couch, a gun at her side. Mr. Egbert was nowhere to be found. Jade, Dave, and John all sat around the little coffee table John had in the middle of the room. It was full of supplies. From first-aid, to weapons, to food and water. The four of them said nothing for a while, they just stared at each other. They all knew what they were thinking about. They could read it on each other's faces.

After a while, Dave broke the silence, curiousity taking over. "John where's your dad?" They all looked at him, causing the boy to shift uncomfortably. His black hair kept falling in his face so he had to keep pushing it up into its usual style. "He tried to eat me this morning…so I uh…I killed him…" Guilt set in Dave's mind for asking. Dammit. Now John was probably going to be a sobbing mess. "Oh I'm…sorry John…"

"It's okay man. I mean, my dad wasn't very nice to me anyways." He smiled reassuringly to his friend, who smiled back. "So guys," Rose said, interrupting the moment. She looked at us through her platinum bangs, a headband resting on her head. We all looked at her, wondering what it was that she wanted. "What's our plan against the zombies? I mean, we can't stay in here forever. We'll run out of food." We all looked at John. It was his house, therefore he was automatically dubbed leader. He leaned back in his seat, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Well…we could just wing it-"

"Wing it? What good has winging it ever brought you John?" Jade asked. John frowned, folding his arms over his chest. "An A on my English presentation thank you very much!"

"Shut up before I shoosh all of your fucking paps." Dave threatened, obviously annoyed with the group. Maybe having John as the leader wasn't such a good idea…

"We need more weapons. And we need to make packs. Split up the rations between the four of us and the weapons. Then we need to figure out where to go." They all stared at Dave with admiration. He'd never felt so…well admired before. By saying all that, he basically dubbed himself leader. And, surprisingly, no one complained. Rose started filling the bags equally, while Dave, Jade, and John discussed where to go.

"We should go to my island. There's no way there would be zombies there!" Jade suggested. It wasn't a bad idea actually. "Yeah but your island is on the other side of the country." John pointed out. Jade's shoulders slumped with defeat. "Oh yeah I guess you're right…"

"I was thinking we go get bro and them and make one big group first. Then decide where to go." They all agreed to Dave's idea and waited to head out until Rose was done with the bags. The blonde boy walked up to a boarded window and peered out, seeing that it was getting dark. The sun was just setting over the horizon. Right when he was about to turn away, something caught his eye. Something was moving on the hill. He lifted up his shades, needing to squint to see what it was. It moved slowly and with a limp. Damn. Probably another zombie. Behind that one was another, and behind that one another. Dave's eyes widened as the dead started to come up over the hill coming right for the house. There must have been at least fifteen outside. He walked towards Rose and grabbed a bag, strapping it to his back tightly. He then grabbed the pipe he had used earlier and looked to the others. They were all waiting for a command.

"Grab a weapon and a bag. We leave tonight."

"But Dave, it's getting dark outside!" Jade whined. God damn it. "Would you rather be eaten or would you rather get away alive?" The others looked at him with concern and wonder. "Dave…what did you see?" Dave looked at his best friend. "There's at least fifteen zombies coming right towards us. We can't use the front door. They're coming over the hill. We need to find my brother, Roxy, Jane, and Jake immediately."

John nodded and grabbed a bag. Jade looked uneasy and hesitated before taking one. Rose strapped hers to her back and loaded the gun that was in her hand. "Ready." John grabbed his dad's old baseball bat from when he was on the baseball team. Jade didn't make a grab for anything. She just clinged to Dave as if he was going to keep her safe. "Jade you need a weapon." He mumbled, annoyed with the girl. She always expected everyone to protect her. Which was stupid because what if they aren't there and she's alone? Then she's dead meat. Rose handed Jade a revolver, which she dropped on the floor. Why's she shaking so badly? There's nothing to be nervous about. Dave shook his head, moving toward the back door. "Stay close together."

Together, they all walked out John's back door. Dave was first of course, since he was the leader. He wondered how his brother was doing. He never worried this much. Outside, the moon casted a small amount of light on the town, creating shadows. All was quiet as the group went into the woods behind John's house, being careful not to make any noise. "Dave, how are we going to find Dirk?" Rose asked. That was a very good question. "I guess I could text him. Jade do you have my phone." The group stopped for a moment so Jade could fetch Dave's phone from her pocket. Except, it wasn't there. She patted all over herself, checking to see if it was even on her. "I…I don't have it…" Dave cursed under his breath and started back towards the house. "Dave! Where are you going?"

"To get my god damn phone!" The Strider mumbled to himself as he ventured back by himself. Who the hell does that! Leaves someone else's phone at someone's house. Dave swung the door open and walked inside, going through the kitchen to the living room. He could hear the zombies banging on the door and windows. He shook his head. If they get through that then I'm fucking dead. He looked around for his phone, checking the table, under it, and the chairs.

A piece of wood hit in on the head and he looked over at where it had come from. A rotting hand had broken through and was trying to break the rest of the boards. Shit. Dave peered out quickly to get a feel for how many brain eaters were actually out there. One, two, three, four, five…way more than fifteen. He lost count at fourty-seven. Damn. He had to work fast. He threw up the cushions on the couch. Nothing. He did the same for the chairs. Nothing. Damn it! Where did she put it?!

Snap!

Dave looked over and saw they had broken two more boards and were trying to get through the hole they made. One more board and they'd be in. He started flipping stuff over, breaking glass and making a lot of noise.

Snap!

Shit.

Zombies started pouring in from the window, making their way towards Dave. He didn't have time to find his phone now. He'd have to come back and find it later. For now, he had to get out of here, and fast. Dave ran toward the way he had come in, but to his dismay, there were zombies there too. God damn it! He went back into the previous room, wielding his pipe in his hand. It was either fight or get eaten. He glanced around the room. They were coming from all sides. Damn. He said a quick prayer before throwing himself into the crowd of brain eaters.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

_**John**_

The woods were dark and only the sound of crickets chirping filled the kids ears. They've been waiting for Dave to come back for an hour. He must have been eaten. Typical that he of all of them would get taken first. Oh well. That means that John is the leader now, and he was going to make sure to be a better one than Dave.

Jade Harley sat beside him on a log, with Rose Lalonde on the other side of her. Rose stared off into the distance while Jade nervously fiddled with her fingers. "Do you see him yet?"

"No." Rose answered blankly. John sighed as Jade did. He was just as worried about him as Jade was. If only Jade had given him back his phone. Then they wouldn't be in this stupid situation.

"Oh!" Jade jumped and patted skirt, a heavy object falling out of it. It was ringing. A phone? But Jade doesn't have a…

"Jade is that Dave's cell?" She blinked, somewhat dazed by what just happened. "I-"

"Doesn't matter, just answer it." Rose demanded. John sighed again and picked up the device, answering whoever was calling. "Hello?"

"Dave? Dave are you okay?" It was Dirk, Dave's older brother. He sounded worried. Damn. John bit his lip. Dave was probably a zombie by now. How was he going to tell his brother? "Uh, this is John."

"John? Why do you have Dave's phone?"

"Uh…" Oh how to explain… "It's a long story. But I'm not going to explain why I have it when your brother is probably walking around eating people's brains." There was a gasp on the other line. Was he on speaker? "Jane calm down. Yeah I know…hang on." Dirk must be talking to his friends. "Sorry, Jane started to freak out when you said that. Where are you guys?"

"In the woods behind my house. Where are you?"

"In town. We'll be there soon. Don't move." _Click_. John put the phone in his pocket and stood, looking towards the direction Dave had gone in. "That was Dirk. He said to stay put and that he and his friends will be here soon." Rose and Jade looked up at him, remaining silent. John was quiet too. The thought of his best friend getting eaten wasn't really helping their will to survive vibes. John looked back at the path Dave had taken. Should he go see if he was okay…? No, Dirk said to stay put. But then again, Dave was his best friend. He decided to go see if he was still in the house. Nothing bad could come from that…right?

"I'm going to go check on Dave." John tightened the straps on his bag. Rose and Jade looked up at him, surprise on their faces. "But you said-"

"I know what I said. But we can't just leave Dave in there. Even if he is a zombie. If he is, then we need to kill him. He would want us to." The girls stayed silent and John took his que to leave. He didn't feel right leaving them alone in the woods, but he didn't feel that leaving Dave was right either. He was sure they'd be fine though, since they're the ones with the firearms and amo. Even if Rose is the only one who knows how to use a stupid gun. Rose would probably teach Jade though. John chuckled at the thought of sweet little ol' Jade firing a revolver. She'll probably drop the darn thing before she even pulls the trigger! Oh well.

John got to the edge of the woods fairly quickly, the distance between him and his house full of zombies mindlessly roaming about. If he was going to get to Dave he'd have to fight his way through. Sighing, John held up his baseball bat, reading himself. It was hard to see in the dark, but luckily the moon gave off just enough light so that he could see their skin. If they're stupid enough, then they shouldn't be able to see him. At the last second, John put up his hood so that it hid most of his pale face. He then charged at the closest zombie, knocking its head right off. Blood spurt onto him and he almost made a sound in disgust, but bit his lips to keep it from escaping. He went to the next zombie and did the same, and then the next.

There were only eight zombies left when John started to get tired. His bat had broken, and he didn't have enough time to get his spare weapon from his bag. The zombies were starting to close in on him. It was stupid to go after Dave. Now he was going to get eaten too. At least Rose and Jade would have Dirk and the others to look after them. John smiled to himself, dropping the remains of his bat. Rose would be safe. That's all that really mattered to him. As the zombies began to get closer, John said a small prayer, "Jegus, please…keep Rose safe…"

Right when a zombie was about the grab him, guns sounded, and the zombies around him fell to the ground. Egbert looked up, trying to find who had fired the shots. It was none other than Jake English and his twin pistols. He smirked and blew the smoke that crept out of the barrels before slipping the weapons into their holsters. Dirk, Jane, and Roxy stepped out from behind him and ran over to the boy. "John! John are you alright?" Jane asked, hugging him tightly. "Yeah, I'm fine." She released him and John smiled to Jake. "Thanks."

"Anytime! Now, tell us why you're out here alone." The boy sighed, looking towards his home. "I was looking for Dave." Dirk stepped forward, peering in the doorway of the house. "Looks pretty empty to me. Just a bunch of bodies laying around. Did you guys fuck up some zombies or something before you left?" This puzzled John. He looked inside the house, and to his surprise, Dirk's words were true. There were zombie bodies littered all over the place. Most in the living room. John took a step inside, being careful to step around a body that lay on his kitchen floor. The rooms reeked of death. Gross.

Dirk followed in behind him leaving the others waiting outside. He and John looked around, trying to see if there was any sign of Dave. John took a few steps forward and heard a crack. He must have stepped on something. He looked down, lifting up his foot to see what he had crushed. It was Dave's shades, now in little bits and pieces. Dirk walked over to him. "What's wrong John?" He nodded to the glasses. The older boy bent down and picked up the frames, holding them in his hands. He stared down at them for the longest time, John thought they were going to be there all night. Dirk finally put them in his pocket then turned to John. "Let's go…" His voice was barely a whisper, but there was so much emotion behind the choked words that it made John's insides tingle. Dave was obviously there, but he hadn't stayed long enough for them to catch him.

They walked out of the house meeting up with Jake and the girls outside. They took one look at Dirk and knew something wasn't right. They didn't ask any questions though. The group just followed John back to Rose and Jade.

Hopefully Dave was out there somewhere, fighting off the zombies like the bad ass he is. Where could he have gone? If he had gone back to them while John was looking for him, he would've noticed, right? Then again, John was wrapped up in his own thing. He hadn't even noticed the alphas walking over to him when he was fighting the zombies.

How did this whole zombie thing even start? The question bugged John all the way back to his friends. Just yesterday his dad was perfectly healthy and happy. The next morning he's trying to eat John's brain. Unless someone came in and put something in their dinner last night, then there's no way that his father should have become one of them. There's no possible way.

"John!" A force struck him hard on the head, sending him sprawling backwards into Jake and Jane. They caught him before he fell to the ground. "You okay?"

"What the hell was that?" He asked, looking around. There weren't any low branches sticking out that could've hit him. Nor was there anyone else out here. The others looked around too, but saw nothing. How strange. He didn't even know what had hit him on the head…

They arrived back at the spot where Rose and Jade sat talking about whatever it is girls talk about. Probably boys and nail polish. "Hey guys." John sat beside them on the log, still rubbing his his. Whatever it was that hit him sure did hurt. Jade noticed his head rubbing. "You okay there?" He nodded and stopped. All the rubbing was making him feel dizzy.

"We should head back to town." Dirk said, folding his arms in such a way that made him look powerful compared to everyone else. He was and everyone knew it. Bro was the one that taught Dave all of his strifing skills, which was how he fought off the zombies. Speaking of Dave…

"Hey uh, before we go we should probably show them…" John said to Dirk. He nodded slowly, digging into his pocket. He pulled out Dave's shade frames, and Jade nearly fell to the ground. Rose and John had to catch her mid-way. "Jegus…" She gasped, tears rimming her green eyes. John looked at the ground, feeling bad about having to show her. "Hey, it doesn't mean that he's one of them. It just means that he lost his glasses." Dirk explained, putting them back in his pocket. The oldest Strider sounded confident about what he had just said, like he meant it. But did he actually mean it…?

"Let's get going." The group followed Dirk out of the woods. The sun was starting to rise over the horizon, shining some light over the hill. John's house shone in the light, looking whiter than it actually was. They all stepped over bodies, Jade and Jane tripping over one every once and a while. Dirk led the group away from the area to town. Sometimes they had to hide behind dumpsters or cars to avoid being seen by the undead. "We should take to the roofs…it'd be a lot easier to travel up there."

"Are you kidding me? I'm not jumping from roof to roof!" Roxy whined. One look from Dirk shut her up. Jake spotted a ladder on the next building over and they crawled over to it, careful not to draw attention to themselves. Jake went up first, then the girls, then John, and finally Dirk. Once everyone was up, Dirk gazed out over the other roofs, making sure there wasn't any dead up there. He ran and jumped, landing on the roof of the building beside them.

"Dirk I won't be able to do it!" Jane cried, looking down at the ground. Her face paled slightly at seeing how high up they actually were. Jake walked up and hugged it. "You'll be able to do it Janey. You just gotta run and jump! Dirk and I will be over there to catch you if you need help." With that, Jake stepped back a couple paces, then ran, jumping to the next building. He landed beside his friend, who was smiling at Jane. "Now it's your turn." She trembled. "I-I-"

"Jane, it'll be okay." John said soothingly. He was always good at comforting people. It was just a gift of his. She looked at the young boy and smiled slightly. "Okay fine…but if I fall to my death, I'm blaming all of you!" She stepped back, ran, and jumped. Her foot caught the ledge of the building but that wasn't enough to keep her up. She started to fall, screaming her head off at the feeling of being pulled towards the ground. "Jane!" Jake and Dirk grabbed her arms, catching them before it was too late. They hoisted her up and hugged her tightly as she wept. "Oh my god. Oh my god. I almost died!"

"But you didn't because we caught you." Jake said with a smile. "Yeah, you're welcome." Dirk said. She sent him a look that said jackass then looked towards the people still on the other building. "Come on guys!"

Rose and Jade went next, landing on the other building. Then Roxy. John was the only one who still had to jump. Heights scared him shitless. Yet he had to jump. If he didn't he would be alone, and he did not want that. Gulping down any last thoughts, John stepped back. But his back touched something. Something squishy. Something that should not have been on the roof.

"John!" The others screamed from the other roof. He knew what was behind him. Damn he knew what it was. And he was defenseless. His bat had broken, and if he tried to get the weapon in his pack, his hand would probably get nomed off by the fucking zombie. On the other roof, John saw Jake and Roxy pull out their guns, aiming it for the dead. "If you shoot you will shoot John too!" Dirk pointed out. He pulled out his katana, which seemed to glow in the sunlight. Before anyone could protest, he jumped over.

A hand gripped John's shoulder tightly. He was shaking. Horrified, John stood rooted to his spot. "John move!" He couldn't. He couldn't. He couldn't. He couldn't. DAMN IT! He was such a scaredy cat! He couldn't even get away from a stupid zombie! Dirk had to push him away to get him to move out of the way. John fell to the ground, watching as Dirk stabbed the walker then cut off it's head. He then grabbed John by the arm and threw him over to the other roof, where Jake caught him. Dirk put his katana back, then jumped over. He gave John a look before jumping to another roof. The others gave him an unsure looks too, as if he did something wrong before following Dirk to the other roof.

John just sat there on the roof, watching as they jumped the roofs, leaving him behind. He supposed he should follow them, but he was afraid they didn't want him as part of the group anymore. Since he was such a wimp, he was useless. Plus he didn't have a weapon. Wait, yes he did! John took off his bag and reached inside, grabbing the weapon that lay inside and pulled it out. It was a gun. Like the ones that police use. He loaded it, making sure it was full of ammo. He wasn't going to back down from anything anymore. He wasn't going to chicken out. He wasn't going to ask for help.

John put his bag back on his back and strapped it on tightly. He walked towards the ledge, peering down. The zombies were everywhere. He let out an airy laugh. Pathetic. He jumped to the other roof. Soon they would kill them all. They'd all be gone. For now they, he had to focus on finding Dave.

He stopped a roof behind the others. He didn't need them. He could fight them all off on his own. His eyes wandered to Rose, who sat on a box. Her face shimmered under the sun, her black lips standing out against her pale complexion. Her ghost white hair danced across her face as the warm summer air passed, making her look even more beautiful. God damn she's go gorgeous. But she's so out of his league. John sighed. He couldn't leave her behind. He supposed he would stay with the group until he came up with a plan. Yes, that sounded like a good idea.

Egbert jumped to the other roof, joining his friends. "What took you so long Egbert?" Dirk asked, sitting on another box. "Sorry something uh…caught my eye." He glanced at Rose as he said that. To his surprise, she was smiling at him. So he smiled back, but that made her look away. Damn it. He sighed, sitting down on the floor. "What do we do now?"

"We wait for Dave."

"Wait? That could be years! Besides, he's probably a zom-"

"Don't say that!" The Strider snapped. John shut his mouth. "I know he's alive! He's a Strider damn you!" The group was silent, the tension so thick that John could hardly breathe. He was saying and doing all the wrong things today. He didn't want to be here anymore. John got up and walked to the ledge. There were some zombies down below. He needed a way to let out his anger. What better way to do so than killing some fucking zombies?

"John? John what are you doing?" Jane asked wearily, walking towards him. He looked back at her, which made her stop. He looked so sad, so unwanted. She wanted to give him a gigantic hug and some cake. If only she had the materials to actually make a cake. She sighed. This apocalypse is so _not_ sweet!

"I'm jumping." Before anyone else could get up he waved goodbye and leaned over the edge, allowing gravity to take him down into the ally of walkers.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

**Jade**

Jade Harley watched as one of her best friends fell off the roof and into the ally below, Jane Crocker screaming and reaching out to grab him. Dirk Strider lept up from his seat and tried to get him too. Jake English held Jade back while Roxy Lalonde held back Rose, just to make sure they don't do anything dumb. But neither Jane nor Dirk made it to John in time. He was already in the ally by the time Dirk got to the ledge. Rose broke free from Roxy's grasp, hurling herself towards the ledge. As she ran past, Jade noticed her cheeks were coated in tears. Has Rose ever cried? Jade wasn't sure, but it still surprised her to see her friend cry.

"John you idiot!" She yelled down at the swarm of zombies. Jane and Dirk had to hold onto Rose to keep her from throwing herself over the edge. "John you stupid dumbfuck! Why the hell would you do that! You'd better survive or else!" Rose was full out weeping now. She sank to her knees, choking on her tears. No one knew how to respond. Roxy knelt down beside her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Rose," She didn't look up.

"Rose, honey, he'll be fine. He's just…blowing off some steam." Dirk and Jake exchanged looks of uncertainty but didn't say anything. Jade stood slowly, deciding whether or not to comfort Rose. She didn't comfort her when Dave went missing. Actually, Jade didn't have time to cry about him. It's either run or get eaten. And she had chosen to run.

Once Rose was done crying, she stood, turning to face the group. Her make-up was runny, and her lipstick was smeared from her wiping her nose on her sleeve. Her clothes were tattered from running through the woods and the zombies grabbing at her. Rose looked horrid, and she knew it. The girl walked past the group, grabbing her backpack and slinging it over her shoulder. Her voice was barely a whisper. "Come on," she said, "we've got to get somewhere safe…" The group obeyed, following the ghost of a girl from roof to roof.

"Hey…Dirk?" Jade asked as they jumped to another roof. He looked down at her, under his shades his orange eyes were ablaze. They looked distant, lost even. "Yeah Harley?" She paused a moment. What she wanted to say has been nagging at her, refusing to leave the back of her mind. She was afraid to ask, however, because she didn't want to make the older Strider brother to feel bad. "Will we ever see Dave again? Or John?" His pace slowed, thoughts collecting in his mind. Jade slowed down too. The others didn't seem to notice however and kept running.

Dirk pulled Dave's aviator frames from his pocket, holding them tightly in his hand. The broken glass dug into his skin, but he didn't care. He didn't care about anything anymore. If Dave were a zombie then he would rather be dead. The being that he raised himself…the mere thought of him possibly being…damn it. He was losing himself again. Dirk turned to Jade and smiled slightly. "Of course. One way or another…" He looked off into the distance, a few walkers coming into site. "We will…" The Strider left Jade to herself. She understand what he meant. Oh god she knew what he meant. She didn't want to believe it though. She wouldn't. Pushing the thought to the very back of her mind, Jade headed back towards the group, who had stopped at the last building before the edge of town. When she arrived, their mumbles and low whispers stopped, and they all turned in her direction.

"Jade," Jake said, standing from his seat. "Do you think we should split up and look for John and Dave, or move on without them?" Dirk walked towards her too, his face emotionless. "Jade, you dated my little brother once. We have to go look for him."

"What about John?!" Rose called, walking towards them as well. Roxy followed her, her face blank. "Who cares about that buck teethed loser!"

"Excuse me I do!" Rose and Jane exclaimed in unison, ganging up on Dirk. That boy needs to learn to keep his mouth shut. Jake shook his head and turned to Jade. "Jade…if we split up, there's a chance not everyone will come back. If we leave now, then our group, or, what's left of us, will be safe. Do you really want to put other people's lives in danger?" Jade's eyes scanned the scene, taking in everything. Rose and Jane were screaming at Dirk, who was screaming back at them. Roxy looked lost, staring off into the distance. Below them was a sea of zombies just waiting for one of them to trip and become their next meal. Then there was the comfort of the sun setting over the horizon. Somewhere out there, there was a safe place. A place with no danger and peace. Which was exactly what Jade wanted. But…the girl scanned the area again, a frown playing onto her face.

"No man left behind…" She whispered. She looked up at Jake, her emerald eyes shining. "We leave no one behind! It's my fault we lost Dave anyway…the least I could do is try to find him. As for John…he's one of my best friends! I can't just leave him!" Four pairs of eyes gazed on the Harley girl, as she spoke, her confidence growing with each word that came from her heart, "Would you leave a sibling behind if you knew they were out there somewhere?" Jade's eyes drifted to Dirk, of whom was smiling at her. She smiled back. "And would you leave behind someone you love?" Jake's eyes glanced at Dirk, who didn't seem to notice the boy's wondering eyes. Jake's face suddenly filled with such emotion, so much that he started to choke on tears. He held them back though, not wanting the others to see him break down. "You're right…I'm sorry…"

The group split up into two separate groups: Roxy, Jane, and Rose; and Dirk, Jade, and Jake. Roxy's group went back to where John was last seen, and Dirk's group went back to John's house to see if there was any clues as to where his brother could be. Just before they split, Rose came up to Jade, tears still stinging her eyes. Her voice was barely a whisper, but it was still audible. "Jade…if…if I don't come back and you find John…tell him I said yes…" Then she left with the rest of her group. Jade didn't really know what she meant by that, but obviously John did. Maybe he asked her out or something? Who knows.

Jade's group went back towards the center of the city and Rose's group went back towards the ally John had fallen into. As they traveled, Jade couldn't help but think that maybe John had jumped on purpose. He knows well enough that jumping into a batch of zombies is suicide. So…maybe he…

"Jade," The girl blinked and looked up, seeing Dirk smile at her. The group had stopped at an old dollar store, the windows shattered and the door boarded up. He pointed inside, and Jade squinted behind her glasses, making out a soda machine in the corner of the room that said Faygo. This made her laugh a little. "Please tell me we didn't stop to get some soda." But Dirk and Jake were already inside. Feeling a sudden chill run down her spine from the sudden realization that she was out in the open alone, Jade followed the boys inside, carefully stepping over the window frame. Dirk was filling Jake's bag with all different kinds of Faygo. She glanced around nervously, an unsettling feeling creeping into her stomach. "Guys we really shouldn't be in here…" Many unpleasant feelings were starting to well into her stomach.

Dirk glanced at Jade, his hand finding his katana immediately. "Jade!" Jade stiffened when he said her name and looked behind her, a zombie only inches from her face. Her scream filled the store and she topple backwards, falling onto broken shards of glass. The zombie advanced, stumbling over a shelve that had fallen over. Another zombie went towards Dirk and Jake, closing in on them. He couldn't handle both at once…Dirk glanced over at Jade, of whom was fumbling to get her bag open. He was sure she could pull something off, if not then surely Jake will attack it.

Jade grabbed a pistol from her bag and once it was out she fired, hitting the zombie right between the eyes. It fell on top of the one Dirk had quickly decapitated. Jake looked over at Jade, his eyes wide and eyebrows raised. "Jade did you fire that gun?"

"Yes why?"

"Bloody hell! The sounds going to attract more!" Her face paled and she dropped the gun back into her bag. "I'm sor-"

"We don't have time for apologies. We need to get out of here." Dirk said, grabbing Jade's arm and hoisting her up. She winced and looked down at her hands which were completely covered in blood. "Wha-" Dirk tugged her out of the window they had climbed into, not giving her time to analyze her wounds. It hurt a lot but she didn't have time to cry about it. They needed to get somewhere safe. The zombies were starting to follow them as they ran down the streets. Jake shot some walkers in the head as they ran, Dirk cutting off some heads with his katana. Jade got the gun from her bag and fumbled with it, shooting some zombies in the arm. It wasn't enough though. There had to be at least 40 of those fuckers following them.

"Jade focus!" Dirk said from in front of her, stabbing another walker in the head. She nodded, holding the gun at eye level. She aimed quickly, right for the forehead of a walker. Her hands started shaking. It was coming at her quickly. It was faster than the others. Damn! She had to concentrate! Before she could have any second thoughts, her finger slipped and a bullet went clean through the skull of the walker she had been aiming at. Her first one. It felt good. She shot more and more, going faster than Jake or Dirk combined. It helped that her grandfather had taught her how to wield one of these when she was just a little kid.

They came to a fire escape and Dirk made them climb up and go to the roof. Jade dropped to her knees and puffed, trying to catch her breath. The boys were doing the same. "Damn. Nice work guys." Dirk said once he recovered from the run. Jake's pistols returned to their holsters and Jade's gun found it's way into her belt. She smiled at the two of them. "So, where to now?"

"I suggest we head towards the river. Maybe that's were he thinks we all went?" Jake suggested. Dirk shook his head, his gloved hand running through his white locks. "No…he wouldn't have gone there. Maybe he went back to the apartment to snag some shit. Yeah, that's probably where he went." Jake and Jade stood up, looking at each other. "How are you sure that he went there?"

"I'm not but where else are we supposed to look! He could be anywhere! Out there by himself fending off zombies. What if he's hungry? Thirsty? What if he's hurt?" Panic began to settle in Dirk's stomach, tears threatening to break through his calm barrier. Jake put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry we're going to find him. Let's go to the apartment okay?" Dirk nodded, putting his katana back in it's sheahe.

The Strider apartment was on the other side of town by the clubs and nightly hang outs. Dirk worked at the club beneath their home, usually leaving Dave alone by himself at night. Dave worked at the club down the street from Dirk's during the day. It wasn't as busy during the day as during the night but that was okay. Dave got money for what he did and that's all he cared about.

Dirk unlocked the door and held it open for his companions. Jade looked around. She had been there plenty of times before. Mostly while she and Dave had been together. It seemed messier now though. Smuppets were lain in random places, puppets were strewn everywhere. Clothes cling to furniture and the furniture seemed to have been moved around a lot for random strifes.

They had drawn their weapons before they had walked inside just in case some zombies had found their way into the cluttered mess. Dirk had told them that it wasn't likely but always being on guard was key to survival. That and some other necessity shit . Jade held her gun low, but high enough to bring it to eye level in case something came at her. The made their way through the place, kicking aside Dirk's toys and dirty clothing.

Jade wandered to Dave's room, which had a big KEEP OUT sign hanging on the front of the door. It made her smile. His privacy had always been invaded no matter what he did to keep it from being so. She twisted the doorknob and opened the door a little, nudging it open with her gun. Something rustled from inside the room and the hair on the back of Jade's neck stood. She brought up her gun, ready to shoot as she moved into the tiny bedroom.

It was even more cluttered than the rest of the apartment. Dave had clothes covered the floor, music posters covering every inch of his walls. On what was supposed to be his desk was a set of turn tables which he used to make his music. "Dave?" She whispered, glancing around the room. The rustling was coming from the other side of the bed. A gulp slid down her throat as she walked towards it, being careful to keep her distance.

The thing stopped rustling and she stopped, keeping still. A hand reached out from under Dave's bed suddenly, making Jade shriek. "Jade?!" The boys called from the other room. Jade, frightened to death, shot at the hand, a moaning coming from under the bed. Another hand came out and Jade backed into the wall. She let the zombie crawl out from under the bed before she tried shooting it. She had missed, hitting it's back. It groaned, reaching for her ankle. She shrieked again, stepping on it's hand. This only made her lose her balance and fall over onto Dave's stinky clothes. The walker had a hold on her ankle now, trying to drag itself onto her back. Her screaming didn't cease as she tried to kick it off, only making it scratch into her leg. "DIRK! JAKE!" During her fall, her gun had fallen out of her hands and somewhere into the pile of clothes. She was searching quickly, tossing things behind her to try to maybe even distract the creature clinging to her leg. But it was no use. She didn't have time to find it and the zombie can bite her at any given time.

Jade quickly scanned around her to try to find an alternative to the gun. Nothing really stood out to her. Damn it! It was on her legs now and if she kicked then it would just slide up onto her back and she'd be done for. Something glistened to her left and she reached out towards it, grabbing it and bringing it to the zombie's forehead. It wailed loudly as Jade stabbed the broken sword into it's skull until it was finally dead. Dead dead. Jade pushed it off of her and lay there, facing the ceiling, trying to catch her breath.

"Jade?!" They boys finally came into Dave's room and rushed over to her. Jake picked her up in his arms. "Are you alright?"

"Were you bitten?" Dirk asked, examining the scratches on her legs. "I-I don't think so. It only scratched me."

"Damn it! Jade listen to me and listen real fucking good," Dirk turned around to face her, seriousness written all over his face. "I'm not sure if scratches will change you but if it's supposed to then I will not hesitate to kill you. I'd do it not only for the group but also for you. We don't want you to suffer as one of them." He gestured to the bloody, beaten zombie corpse. Jade winced but nodded slowly. She hadn't really planned on becoming a zombie and if she had ever gotten bit, she was going to ask to be killed anyways. It's what everyone would want.

Dirk wrapped her scratches in one of Dave's clean shirts. She was surprised he even found one. He wrapped it tightly around her leg and stood, helping her and Jake up. "Good?" She tried to walk on it but the pain was immense. But she bit her lip and nodded. She didn't want to seem like a weak joint in the group. That would only slow everyone down. Everyone was always babying her and she was sick of it. She can do things on her own she doesn't need anyone's help. Not anymore. She might as well go off by herself.

But if she did that she might end up like John and Dave. Missing in action. Those words had always scared her.

Jake let Jade lean on him when she needed too as they left the apartment. "I thought he would be there…" Dirk sighed as he ran his slim fingers through his hair. Jake glanced over at him and gave him a weak, comforting smile. "It'll be alright chap don't worry, we'll find him."

"But what if we don't? What if we don't find my little brother." Tears began to build along the rim of Dirk's eyes behind his shades. Jade watched as one slipped down his cheek. She felt sorry for him. Jake stopped and held Dirk's face between his hands. "I said we'll find him Dirk. I promise." They stared at each for a long while. "Alright…" Dirk finally said, breaking away from Jake.

They moved back to John's house, hoping to find more evidence.

"Wait." Dirk stopped the group, holding two fingers to his lips, signaling them to keep quiet. They obeyed and drew their weapons just in case. Dirk slowly crept towards a tree, looking up into the branches. Something was moving up there. Branches creaked as whatever it was moved, trying to get out of Dirk's line of vision. But Dirk moved with it. He started to climb, not taking his eyes off it. Jade and Jake watched helplessly as Dirk disappeared into the tree. They waited a good ten minutes before walking over to the trunk.

"Dirk?" Jake whispered. Suddenly Jake was on the ground with a Strider strewn on top of him. "Ow…" Dirk said, sitting up and rubbing his head. In his other hand was a red and white shirt. Jade stared at it. Just…just stared. Dave was just up in that tree but he had done nothing to even let them know he was okay. "Dirk…that…that shirt…it's Dave's…isn't it…"

Dirk stood, helping Jake up as well. He turned to face the girl and nodded. "It is…damn it he was there. Just as I was about to grab him he disappeared. All he left behind was his shirt…" The article of clothing was torn apart with blood stains spattered all over the stupid thing. The sleeves had been ripped off to make the shirt into a tank top, or, Dave had been hurt and had to bandage the wound.

"At least we know he's alive." Jake whispered. Dirk said nothing, just stuffed the shirt into his belt. He looked up at the tree again before shaking his head and moving again. Jade and Jake exchanged weary looks, following the boy.

Jade was going to find Dave. No matter what.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**

_**Dirk**_

He didn't like being the leader of their small group. It was too much responsibility. Their lives were in his hands and he didn't know what to do with them. He tried his best though, Dirk did. He found shelter and some food for the next few days. It started to rain the night they found the cave. The clouds overhead made the forest dark. They only way they could see what using Jake's lighter. They had all stumbled into the cave, leaning against the walls to catch their breathes.

"Goodness gracious!" Jake muttered, his eyes closed and his head against the rock. Jade had slid down to the floor, laying herself out. Dirk looked down into the cave, trying to see if there were any threats. "I'm going to go check things out. Jake you stay here with Jade. Guard the mouth. I'll be going deeper in." He shifted his back on his back, gripping his katana tightly in his gloved hand. "Wait, Dirk," Dirk turned around to see Jake walking over to him. "I…be careful okay?" The brunette looked up at him slowly, giving him a small smile. Dirk could only nod because it was the only thing he could fucking think of. "Yeah uh, thanks I will be."

Then he was gone. With the lighter in one hand and his sword in the other, the Strider descended into the cave. It wasn't very interesting, though it was a bit scary. The pointed rocks looked a lot like teeth and Dirk felt like he could be eaten by the cave at any moment. It was damp too which didn't help the musky smell.

The Strider went deep into the cove, watching out for bats and rats and things that could fall and kill him. This was a dangerous journey a sickening reward. At the end of the cave the smell got more grotesque. Dirk had to cover his nose with his shirt just to keep going. He almost turned back. He _wanted_ to turn back. Oh god he really wanted to. But his curiosity got the best of him and he kept going, which was probably the stupidest thing he had even done in his entire life. Why he didn't just listen to his inner self? He didn't know.

As he reached the end, he could barely see past the tears that were rimming around his eyes from the fumes that came from what was on the floor. These eyes widened with both disgust and fear at what they were taking in. It was probably the most vile thing he's ever seen and smelt. Laying on the floor were probably about 15 dead bodies. Not zombies. Just dead bodies. Most likely people who shot themselves in the brain to avoid getting turned by the virus. He had wished that was the case. He truly had.

He ran back to Jake and Jade, not looking back at the pile of dead bodies on the floor. He was about half-way there when he heard a high-pitched scream. Jade? He didn't know. Not that it really mattered. A scream meant danger and that's what Dirk was used to fighting. He unsheathed his katana and bolted towards the entrance of the cave.

Another scream was heard along with several gun-shots, then another scream. Damn it! Why couldn't he run faster! Dirk went as fast as his legs would carry him until he reached the mouth of the cave, when he stopped dead in his tracks. A giant _thing_ was staring at him. Jake was standing off to the side with Jade behind him. They both turned towards him and almost said something, but Dirk held his katana up to his lips, a signal to stay quiet. Jake nodded to him, putting a hand over Jade's mouth. They both knew she would probably scream if something happened.

Dirk's attention went back to this giant monster in front of him. It was ugly. Stinky too. He didn't really know what the hell it was. It's head reached the ceiling and its hands could crush anything. It wasn't furry, and it had stitches and scars all over it's body. Perhaps it was an experiment gone wrong and just so happened to get loose when the apocalypse occurred. Dirk did the first thing that came to mind. He ran.

He didn't run towards it. He ran back to the pile of bodies. Why he went there he had no idea. He didn't have the slightest clue what he did half the time. All he knew was that it kept them alive. Act first, think later. That's how it has to be now.

He led this atrocious thing to the bodies, where he turned back around and faced it. It reached out to grab him, but thankfully he was quick on his feet and moved to the side before it could get a hold of him. The blond brought his sword down on it's hand, cutting clean though. The monster wailed and tried to slap him away with it's other hand but it was too slow. Dirk was already getting ready to stab it in the back when something suddenly flashed, blinding the boy. He crashed into a pointed rock, his sword falling from his hands and somewhere nearby. When he opened his eyes the monster was gone, and so were the bodies.

Confusion didn't set in until after he got back to his group. Jake had a cloth wet with rain water ready for him when he returned, having him lay on a make-shift bed. Jade was off picking the berries just outside the cave, Jake explained.

"She's out there by herself?" Dirk's voice was but a croaky whisper. "She'll be fine. If anything tries to attack she has my pistol. If that doesn't work then I'll run out and get whatever's bothering her." Jake smiled and wiped away some blood from Dirk's head. "What did that monster do to you? You're mighty beat up Dirk."

"Uh…" He didn't know how to explain the flash and everything disappearing. It had happened so quickly , he hadn't even registered it until now. So, he decided to lie instead. "It uh, knocked me into a rock and I passed out. It went deeper into the cave, but once I came too I killed it from behind." Jake beamed admiringly, his eye-lashes batting against his tan cheeks. "Golly Dirk! That's amazing!"

"Heh, I guess. I mean all I really did was-"

"You saved us. That's what you did." Jake gave him another smile before kissing Dirk on the forehead. The action made Dirk blush the color of a cherry. This only made the young explorer giggle. "You're adorable when you blush Strider…" His eyes softened and he started to clean a cut on Dirk's cheek. Dirk stared up at him through his shades, stunned. Jake has never shown any kind of affection for him before. Or has he? Dirk's been so caught up in trying to find Dave that he hasn't really been paying too much attention to his best friend. Jake gently took off his shades, setting them beside his head. Dirk didn't seem to notice. He just kept staring up at his friend. _What the hell am I doing? I'm not gay!_ Or…was he…he didn't even know anymore. He just wanted to do something about the way Jake was acting.

He put a hand on Jake's cheek which made the other stop what he was doing and look at him. Dirk gulped down some nervousness. "Jake…" He whispered, pulling Jake's face closer to his. Jake English was even redder than Dirk had been earlier. This made Dirk smile just a little. "D-D-Dirk w-wha-"

"Shoosh…" He put a finger to his lips, both of his hands now on either side of English's neck. Jake was very much confused by what was happening. The blond smirked, quite amused with how Jake was taking this. In one swift move, Dirk had his lips on Jake's, one hand entangled in the brown locks, the other caressing Jake's face. Jake's eyes widened to the point where they hurt. This was something completely and utterly new for the Strider. If he had known how he felt earlier then this possibly would've happened sooner. But it was happening now and that's what mattered.

Dirk pulled away but his hands stayed where they were. His watched Jake with a somewhat hopeful look. The boy was in shock. It almost scared the dickens out of the Strider. _Oh my god did I kill Jake?_ Once the shock was gone and Jake was looking at him properly, he quickly pressed his lips back against Dirk's. As they kissed, Jake moved so that he lay on top of Dirk. There was absolutely no space between them. And this was very triggering to the Strider._Very,_ triggering.

Dirk woke up with a naked Jake in his arms. He looked down at himself and found that, he too, was without clothes. What had happened last night will probably never leave him. He and Jake…god it was so unreal. It had been so fucking amazing…probably even better than anything he's ever done. It had been unlike when he and Roxy used to fool around. She was always drunk off her ass so it was really not very enjoyable. But this…it had been real. And it had been with someone he actually loved. Love. Funny thing it is.

He looked over across the cave and found Jade smiling at him. He smiled back and waved. But, she didn't wave back. Dirk furrowed his brow. Why didn't she wave back? Careful not to wake up Jake, he slipped on his clothes and walked over to the girl. "Jade?" He whispered. She seemed fine. Except…she wasn't blinking. And the smile on her face wouldn't go away. Dirk cocked his head to the side and reached out to poke her face. Jade's head suddenly wiped towards him and she lunged, tackling him to the ground. She scratched down his chest and tried to bite his face, but he held her head away. Her growls were inhuman and the words she was muttering weren't fucking English. Her once jade eyes were glazed over, and her hair was matted much like a dog's. "What the fucking hell?!" He threw the girl off of him and stood quickly, grabbing Jake's pistol. When Dirk looked back up Jade had the other pointed at him.

"Jade put the gun-"

She shot at the wall behind him, making him jump. She reloaded and pointed it back at his chest. "Where's Dave?" Her voice seemed mechanical. "What are you talking about? I don't know where my little bro is!"

"Liar!" She shot the other side of the wall near Dirk's sleeping sweetheart. This made Dirk's heart leap against his rib cage. If she wasn't careful she'd surely hit Jake. "I'm not-"

"Shut the fuck up." She fired the gun once more, this time hitting a part of Dirk's body. He yelped, holding his side. The bullet had scrapped the part between his ribs and hips. "Put down your gun Strider." Still holding his side, Dirk slowly put down his gun, holding his other hand up to show mercy. Jade's skin had gone grey, and her iris' red.

Sometime during all of this, Jake had woken up. He stared at the gun in front of Dirk's feet.

"Doc Scratch says the game is just beginning." Jade said, the evil grin still on her face. Her glasses were cracked and her clothes were torn, but she wasn't bleeding anywhere. Dirk was confused by this. She had to have been in a fight. Maybe from the monster yesterday? If she had been then there would be wounds and as far as he could tell, there were none. "Tell Doc Scratch this game sucks and that I want a refund."

"Why don't you tell him yourself?" Jade walked over and grabbed Dirk by the hair, pulling him outside of the cave. Dirk yelped, looking back inside the mouth, his brows shooting up in surprise.

Jake had the pistol Dirk had put down and was standing over their bed. He had it aimed for Jade but if he missed he could kill Dirk. Carefully, he waited to shoot until he found just the right moment. He started to pull the trigger back. Just a bit longer. _Now!_

Just when he fired, Jade turned and fired back at him. His bullet went through her head, while her bullet went through his stomach. "Jake!" Dirk screamed, running over to the falling boy once Jade had collapsed. He caught him in his arms just before he could reach the ground. Dirk held the dying boy to his chest, letting his own body fall to the ground. Jake smiled up at him, putting a hand on his cheek.

"Did I get her?" Tears were streaming down Dirk's cheeks and he nodded, gripping Jake's other hand in his. "Yes…yeah you got her. Went clean through."

"Good." Jake coughed, getting some blood on Dirk's shirt, but he didn't care. The Strider pushed some hair out of Jake's eyes with a shaky hand, more and more tears falling. Jake didn't seem to like this. He wiped away some tears with his thumb, still smiling up at Dirk. "Don't cry mate. I'll be okay. It's just a little scratch."

"How the hell are you smiling English? You're dying! You're fucking dying…how…how are you still happy…" He was crying full on now, choking on any other words he had wanted to say. "Because I saved you silly. You're safe now." Jake's hand started to fall from his cheek but Dirk held it there, wanting Jake to keep feeling. Somewhere deep inside he was thinking that that would help keep him alive. "Hey Dirk?" Jake's voice was but a whisper now. "Yeah Jake?"

"I love you." The blond stared down at his companion through his blurry eyes, a smile forming on his lips. "I…I love you too, Jake."

Jake's eyes slid closed, his smile still on his face. Dirk held his body closer, sobbing into his shoulder. "Fuck!" He screamed, not caring if it drew attention to him. He didn't care if walkers came and ate out his brains right now. He didn't care if a bear came and mawled him. He didn't care if some bandits came and shot him. _He didn't care._ It was as if all meaning to his life just…just died. It did. It died when Jake was shot. The only thing he really had left was Dave, but even then he didn't know if his little bro was even alive.

"I love you…you can't leave me English…" Dirk rocked back and forth, still holding the body close to him as if he were trying to put life back into his friend. He felt helpless. Helpless and needy and stupidly in love with a man who was now dead. It just wasn't fucking fair._Nothing_ was fair anymore.

Finally Dirk stood, laying Jake's body on the ground. He gathered up what was left of their supplies and stuffed it into his backpack. He then proceeded to dig a hole in the ground with a shovel he had found at the store the other day, one fit for a body. Once that was done he carefully put Jake down inside. He stared at him for a while, more tears threatening to show themselves. He pushed them away through and filled the hole back up. With a knife, Dirk engraved something into a rock and set it as the tombstone for Jake's grave. After that he picked some flowers he thought Jake would like and put them in front of it.

Dirk didn't look back when he started walked back towards town. How could he? He would only become more emotionally wrecked. He had to stay serious now, no more fooling around. He had quite a journey ahead of him if he was going to find his brother and the others. With his katana in hand, he pushed up his shades and started off into the sunset

_In loving memory of_

_Jacob English_

_Adventurer, best friend, and beloved boyfriend_

_December 1st, 1995 - July 23rd, 2013_

The last sign of hope


End file.
